Enrolling more minority students benefits everyone at Kansas University.

This fall’s record increase in minority student enrollment is good news for Kansas University.

As university officials noted when they announced the 12 percent increase last week, KU values all of its students but recognizes how having more minority students on campus “increases the value of a KU education.”

The largest increases were achieved among American Indian students (23.3 percent) and Hispanic students (18.3 percent). The number of black KU students rose by 7.7 percent and the number of Asians by 7.3 percent.

The numbers still are relatively small even after the increases, minority students represent just 9 percent of the KU student body but the trend is significant.

It’s especially gratifying to see the large increase among American Indian students. That trend probably is largely attributable to increased cooperation between KU and Haskell Indian Nations University. Although Haskell offers bachelor’s degrees in several academic areas, KU should be a natural choice for students who start at Haskell but want to pursue studies not offered there. It is a tribute both to Haskell and KU when American Indian students can successfully make that transition.

Overall numbers are even higher for Asian, black and Hispanic students.

KU appears to have hit on a winning formula for attracting and retaining minority students. Through the HawkLink program, minority students at KU recruit new students and direct them to helpful campus resources. Several professional schools also have minority faculty members to recruit students and serve as their mentors. The result has been an unusually high 80 percent retention rate for minority freshmen.

It comes as no surprise that peer support and faculty mentoring help attract and keep students at the university. The same is true for non-minority students, but those students usually find it easier to tap into that kind of support at KU. The special attention to minority students is justified and appears to be having the desired effect.

Giving minority students the extra boost they need to succeed at KU is a positive first step that hopefully will have a multiplier effect in the years to come. The population of Kansas, as well as the rest of the country, is growing increasingly diverse, and the opportunity for students from different ethnic backgrounds to interact and attend class together will benefit all KU students as they graduate and move into an increasingly diverse American work force.